Genesis — Chapter 24

Passage

Now Abraham was old, and advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed him in all things. And he said to the elder servant of his house, who was ruler over all he had: Put your hand under my thigh, That I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you take not a wife for my son, of the daughters of the Chanaanites, among whom I dwell: But that you go to my own country and kindred, and take a wife from there for my son Isaac. The servant answered: If the woman will not come with me into this land, must I bring your son back again to the place from where you camest out? And Abraham said: Beware you never bring my son back again thither. The Lord God of heaven, who took me out of my father's house, and out of my native country, who spoke to me, and swore to me, saying: To your seed will I give this land: he will send his angel before you, and you will take from there a wife for my son. But if the woman will not follow you, you will not be bound by the oath: only bring not my son back thither again. The servant, therefore, put his hand under the thigh of Abraham, his lord, and swore to him upon his word. And he took ten camels of his master's herd, and departed, carrying something of all his goods with him, and he set forward and went on to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nachor. And when he had made the camels lie down without the town, near a well of water, in the evening, at the time when women are wont to come out to draw water, he said: O Lord, the God of my master, Abraham, meet me today, I beseech you, and show kindness to my master, Abraham. See, I stand nigh the spring of water, and the daughters of the inhabitants of this city will come out to draw water: Now, therefore, the maid to whom I shall say: Let down your pitcher that I may drink: and she shall answer, Drink, and I will give your camels drink also: let it be the same whom you have provided for your servant Isaac: and by this, I shall understand that you have shewn kindness to my master. He had not yet ended these words within himself, and see Rebecca came out, the daughter of Bathuel, son of Melcha, wife to Nachor the brother of Abraham, having a pitcher on her shoulder: An exceeding comely maid, and a most beautiful virgin, and not known to man: and she went down to the spring, and filled her pitcher, and was coming back. And the servant ran to meet her, and said: Give me a little water to drink of your pitcher. And she answered: Drink, my lord. And quickly she let down the pitcher upon her arm, and gave him drink. And when he had drunk, she said: I will draw water for your camels also, till they all drink. And pouring out the pitcher into the troughs, she ran back to the well to draw water; and having drawn, she gave to all the camels. But he musing, beheld her with silence, desirous to know whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not. And after that the camels had drunk, the man took out golden earrings, weighing two sicles; and as many bracelets, of ten sicles weight. And he said to her: Whose daughter art you? tell me: is there any place in your father's house to lodge? And she answered: I am the daughter of Bathuel, the son of Melcha, whom she bore to Nachor. And she said, moreover, to him: We have good store of both straw and hay, and a large place to lodge in. The man bowed himself down, and adored the Lord, Saying: Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not taken away his mercy and truth from my master, and has brought me the straight way into the house of my master's brother. Then the maid ran, and told in her mother's house all that she had heard. And Rebecca had a brother, named Laban, who went out in haste to the man, to the well. And when he had seen the earrings and bracelets in his sister's hands, and had heard all that she related, saying, Thus and thus the man spoke to me: he came to the man who stood by the camels, and near to the spring of water, And said to him: Come in, you blessed of the Lord; why standest you without? I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels. And he brought him into his lodging; and he unharnessed the camels, and gave straw and hay, and water to wash his feet, and the feet of the men that were come with him. And bread was set before him. But he said: I will not eat, till I tell my message. He answered him: Speak. And he said: I am the servant of Abraham: And the Lord has blessed my master wonderfully, and he is become great: and he has given him sheep and oxen, silver and gold, men servants and women servants, camels and asses. And Sara, my master's wife, has borne my master a son in her old age, and he has given him all that he had. And my master made me swear, saying: You will not take a wife for my son of the Chanaanites, in whose land I dwell: But you will go to my father's house, and will take a wife of my own kindred for my son: But I answered my master: What if the woman will not come with me? The Lord, said he, in whose sight I walk, will send his angel with you, and will direct your way: and you will take a wife for my son of my own kindred, and of my father's house. But you will be clear from my curse, when you will come to my kindred, if they will not give you one. And I came today to the well of water, and said: O Lord God of my master, Abraham, if you have prospered my way, where I now walk, See, I stand by the well of water, and the virgin, that shall come out to draw water, who shall hear me say: Give me a little water to drink of your pitcher: And shall say to me: Both drink you, and I will also draw for your camels: let the same be the woman, whom the Lord has prepared for my master's son. And while I pondered these things secretly with myself, Rebecca appeared, coming with a pitcher, which she carried on her shoulder: and she went down to the well and drew water. And I said to her: Give me a little to drink. And she speedily let down the pitcher from her shoulder, and said to me: Both drink you, and to your camels I will give drink. I drank, and she watered the camels. And I asked her, and said: Whose daughter art you? And she answered: I am the daughter of Bathuel, the son of Nachor, whom Melcha bore to him. So I put earrings on her to adorn her face, and I put bracelets on her hands. And falling down, I adored the Lord, blessing the Lord God of my master, Abraham, who has brought me the straight way to take the daughter of my master's brother for his son. So, if you do according to mercy and truth with my master, tell me: but if it please you otherwise, tell me that also, that I may go to the right hand, or to the left. And Laban and Bathuel answered: The word has proceeded from the Lord: we cannot speak any other thing to you but his pleasure. See, Rebecca is before you, take her and go your way, and let her be the wife of your master's son, as the Lord has spoken. Which when Abraham's servant heard, falling down to the ground, he adored the Lord. And bringing forth vessels of silver and gold, and garments, he gave them to Rebecca, for a present. He offered gifts also to her brothers, and to her mother. And a banquet was made, and they ate and drank together, and lodged there. And in the morning, the servant arose, and said: Let me depart, that I may go to my master. And her brother and mother answered: Let the maid stay, at least, ten days with us, and afterwards she shall depart. Stay me not, said he, because the Lord has prospered my way: send me away, that I may go to my master. And they said: Let us call the maid, and ask her will. And they called her, and when she was come, they asked: Will you go with this man? She said: I will go. So they sent her away, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his company. Wishing prosperity to their sister, and saying: You are our sister, mayst you increase to thousands of thousands; and may your seed possess the gates of their enemies. So Rebecca and her maids, being set upon camels, followed the man: who with speed returned to his master. At the same time, Isaac was walking along the way to the well which is called Of the living and the seeing: for he dwelt in the south country: And he was gone forth to meditate in the field, the day being now well spent: and when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw camels coming afar off. Rebecca also, when she saw Isaac, lighted off the camel, And said to the servant: Who is that man who comes towards us along the field? And he said to her: That man is my master. But she quickly took her cloak, and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all that he had done. Who brought her into the tent of Sara his mother, and took her to wife: and he loved her so much, that it moderated the sorrow which was occasioned by his mother's death.